Remove the Overwhelm of Too Many Ideas in Small Business
Oftentimes as entrepreneurs, we dream big. We have big ideas and we have many ideas. So focusing on the what’s important can feel challenging. Choosing one project at a time to focus on helps clear the mental clutter.
I find that when the overwhelm comes, when things in business start to feel out of control, that this method of naming what matters, focusing on a single project, then focusing on steps within that project one at a time helps give clarity and peace of mind.
We’re putting the garden to rest this week. The mornings have been frosty and the days dreary with cold air and drizzling rain. Winter is settling in. And we’re wrapping up our prep for Spring and nestling inside under blankets.
Michael put the finishing touches on a 6 month project last week. He nestled the last of a 1,000 tulip bulbs into the ground, sprinkled in some bone meal, covered it with dirt, and topped it with mulch. A step closer to the vision we shared together in April for our spring wedding next year.
We knew planting tulips would be a big project for us and we took our time with it. First, planning the phases of the work. Michael spent the summer removing all the existing plants from the garden, digging out the roots, and taking them to compost. Digging up the rocks around our yard and moving them to the garden. Artistically placing them in a pattern for walking.
With patience he made trip after trip to the hardware store for landscape edging, filler rocks, landscape tarp and mulch. So much mulch.
For several months it was a barren dirt bed with a lovely rock walkway. During these months we researched our options for planting tulips. Spending hours watching videos on how to hopefully keep the deer from eating these “deer bon bons”. And in late summer we finally ordered the tulips.
They arrived in October just as we’d hoped.
Then, a week into November we both looked at each other astonished that the month we’d been waiting for finally arrived! How is it November?! Despite our surprise at the arrival of November, we set to work again.
Michael mapped out the spacing for the tulips on the computer then set out marking every single spot with the tape measure. He drilled every single hole, dropped a tulip in, mounded the dirt on top then moved on to the next. 1,000 bulbs later they’re all in the ground.
I mean, there’s an obvious theme here: this was really Michael’s project that I’m reaping the benefits of. LOL!
In actuality, the project wouldn’t have been completed quite so smoothly if we hadn’t simplified the plan early on.
We knew it would be a big project. We know we’d have lots of options for methods of planting. We knew the colors of tulips would be daunting. We knew it’d take lots of manual labor and many many hours of time. And so we broke it down into manageable steps. Beginning first clear phases then breaking it down into steps from there.
A simple plan helped us stay calm. And when we had moments daunted by our options we recentered on what mattered most. The color of tulips didn’t matter to us so we ordered several mixes and didn’t worry about keeping them separate. Protecting our investment does mean a lot to us so we narrowed our critter defense quite ruthlessly as we researched.
Oftentimes as entrepreneurs, we dream big. We have big ideas and we have many ideas. So focusing on the what’s important can feel challenging. I’ve found in my own business and advising many other business owners that choosing one project at a time to focus on helps clear the mental clutter. Then simplifying that project by breaking it down into steps relieves the pressure to do all the things at once.
I find that when the overwhelm comes, when things in business start to feel out of control, that this method of naming what matters, focusing on a single project, then focusing on steps within that project one at a time helps give clarity and peace of mind.
Perhaps simplifying can allow a calmness to settle over you as you plan your next project.
What is overwhelming you in business or life at the moment? Can it be broken down into phases and smaller steps?